South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1887-09-02
A LIFE OF PLEASURE.
Happy Existence Of the Indian
Potentates in Hindostan.
The Most independent Rulers In
the World.


Chronicle that Of the dusky crowned
heads OF the world the life of Hindo-
stan king or queen is the happiest. They
have literally no cares nor burdens.
either political or domestic, and Is long
as they content themselves with happy
mediocrity OF viciousness, they are per-
mitfcd TO rcgalc their appetites with
every species of pleasure. The English
rule in India is essentially parental one.
The Indian political agent is generally a
military officer who has earned for him
self the confidence of the government
without ever having run any serious risk
to either life or limb. He il invariably
very astute soldier, invariably enters
INTO diplomacy as poor man with a
large and stability arrayed family, but
always leaves the service with an i'm
mense fortune and considerable es
tate in England. Sometimes the polit-
ical agent and the native sovereign do
not live amicably. Then trouble ensues.
and the independent king or princeling
goes to the wall.
Briefly stated, the political aren't is
expected to do but two things. One is
that nc keep the evil passions of the
KING, to whose court he is accredited.
from stirring up strife and embarking in
any hostile enterprise against the Eng
hsh; and the second thing to accumu-
late wealth and be civil to all European
visitors of good standing
This, then, is the only bugbcar that
haunts the Indian ruler. Otherwise he
Is the most independent monarch in the
world. 1t is true that he cannot wage
war, nor make treaties, nor enter into
political relations with foreign powers,
but the Indian King of to-day has gen.
orally no inclination for such arduous un-
dertakings. He has soldiers, and forts.
and cannons and improved weapons, but
these are merely appendages of royalty
and would be dangerous to him, only
that his army is kept under control by
his allies, the English, who have a mill
tary cantonment conveniently near his
capital. Sometimes there are military
outbreaks, notably in the state of Hal
derbad, whose nizam has in his pay one
or two regiments of Arab cavalry, which
frequently mutiny. The mahara jah of
Gwalior Is Individually the most danger
Gus of these sovereign allies. He is a
man of military instincts; and has an
army, it is said, that could in an emer-
gency show a roster of 300, 600 men.
After the Franco Prussian war his roval
highness reorganiZed his army upon the
German system, completely discarding
that of the French, which had before
been his model, and so far did he carry
his contempt that he deprived some half
breed French officers of the positions
they held in his service on the ground
that nation which met with such ter
rible defeat in so short space of time
could not produce good soldiers.
The early life of king is not. per
haps, the very best school in the world
to foster the noble qualities that NAV be
inherited in mans character. The
zenana is a hotbed of intrigue 1t is the
part of the palace which is set aside for
women, and as there are few hundred
OF these royal wives, each of them per
haps with one or more sons, and each of
them desperately anxious for his welfare.
there is no doubt that the heir apparent
runs more risk of being stranoled or
accidentally atupon while cooling in his
cradle than children of meaner origin.
When he grows into manhood his father
is jealous of him, rs often as not tries to
get rid of his eldest born by murder.
and as often as not succeeds, for there
is hardly throne occupied by the orig
inal heir apparent.
IL has been my good fortune to have
seen several of these gentlemen, both in
the splendor of durbar and in private.
In public they are imposing. Their gor-
geous dress, their diamonds and their
precious stones heaped in the most necIi-
gent profusion upon their persons, make
them most striking and impressive fig
ures. Diamonds stud their sword hilts
they wear diamond Wristbands. diamond
aigrettes, diamond neck laces. diamond
sprinklcd shoes. Indeed. an Indian
king in his full regalia is the king of the
childish imagination. But divest an In
dian king Of his ornamcntation and seek
him in the privacy Of his own apartments
and you will find a meagre man wearing
white cloth literally smearcd with
grease, and obscquiously waited upon bv
women whose beautiful figures are for
grace of motion unequaled in the world.
Squatted upon pile Of luxurious car
pets, with his long hukah tube in his
mouth, much beicwelcd and diamond
crusted, with women playing with bis
hair or tickling his royal feet. serving
him with sweet sherbcts and singing 60
him songs, accompanied with the dance
surrounded with gossip and flatterv.
this scion Of former powerful rulers
passes the MONDAY heats in the under.
ground apartments.
TOmmy's Trouble.
Mrs. fergcr-'Tm afraid there's some.
thing the matter with Tommy"